Instagram, the mobile app that allows users to take photos, add filters, and share them with their social networks, has grown to more than 40 million users. Many colleges are embracing the platform and adding it as another social media tool in their marketing strategy. Instagram is a visual platform, much like Pinterest. The appeal, according to students, is that it’s easy to communicate with pictures. Knowing this, colleges are posting pictures on this platform. The best part—they often use images posted by current students.

Here are just a few ways colleges are using Instagram:

Providing behind the scenes content

According to the University of Florida, students “want behind-the-scenes images.” The university posts more exclusive-access images, such as a photo during a class lecture, an image inside a university television station, and a point-of-view photograph from the podium at the university commencement ceremonies. This gives students a visual footprint of the campus.

Posting photos of special events

Many colleges are using Instagram to promote special events, such as commencement. Students at Vanderbilt University, for instance, have made commencement ceremonies an Instagram affair. Using a hashtag specific to the university, the university collects the latest photos from students to share, posting them on their website every 30 seconds so that they could be shared with families and students.

Expanding their social media influence

Smaller colleges may find it hard to grow a fan base on social networks to match those of larger universities, but with Instagram, they have the ability to easily share to other social media sites allowing them to reach a variety of audiences.

Highlighting school pride

What better way to promote school pride than with visual images. Students post photos from sporting events, campus activities, and cultural events. This gives prospective and current students the opportunity to visually participate in displaying their school pride.

Prospective students can use Instagram

Just like Pinterest, you can take pictures while on your college visits. By tagging them with the college hashtags, other students will see your photos. But here’s the plus: as you take the photos you can type comments and this will provide you with a visual reminder of each college.

If your student is looking for images posted by students, Instagram might just be the perfect source. A student’s perspective, after all, is the best perspective.